Saudi authorities announced on Monday that Syrian workers who had violated
their labor permit conditions would be exempt from deportation.
Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, a spokesman for the interior ministry,
said: “Current circumstances in Syria do not allow us to force Syrian violators
to leave,” adding that they would be allowed to stay and rectify their visa
statuses.
The Saudi government has been taking steps to regulate foreign
workers in the Kingdom more closely, allowing workers a four-month grace period
to correct their visa statuses or face deportation. That amnesty ended on
Sunday.
The campaign has resulted in more than 3,800,000 workers acquiring
work permits, 2,300,000 workers changing their employment, and 2,450,000
transferring to new employers.
Deputy Minister of Labor Mifrij Al-Haqbani said government
projects would not be affected by the deportation of thousands of workers who
violated their visa statuses. He added that “all companies which have contracts
for government projects have been allocated the required visas to bring in
replacement workers to carry out those projects.”
The deputy minister added that the only companies affected by the
closer monitoring of foreign workers were those who hired illegal workers due
to their low wage expectations.
He also denied that his ministry intends to search homes to check
the visas of maids who may be working illegally.
He said the country has sent out leaflets in seven languages to
make people aware of the issue and explaining the procedures to rectify visa
violations. He added that the leaflets were also sent to recruitment agencies
and to embassies.
Meanwhile, Turki announced the interior ministry has formed a
security force affiliated to the Public Security Department, which starts
operating in all cities on Tuesday. It will be tasked with arresting foreign
workers who are self-employed or who work for employers other than their
sponsor, those who arrived on Hajj or visit visas who have taken employment in
the Kingdom, and those who have crossed the border without going through
immigration.
The ministry has also leased buildings to hold the workers before
deportation and has said penalties of two years’ imprisonment and up to SAR
100,000 (USD 27,000) will be issued to those who shelter foreign workers who
have broken the law.
Source: Asharq Al Awast
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